About "Wanterfall"
We all experience emotions – and the experience is not always pleasant.
Being sensitive by nature, we are inevitably vulnerable to these feelings. But must we be helpless?
What exactly are emotions, anyway? Where do they come from, how many are there, are they any use
to us – and, if we don't like their effects, is there any way to get rid of them?
Drawing on a variety of sources including western psychology and eastern philosophy,
as well as the experiences of a long and varied medical career, the author describes a simple
and practical model which can be used to understand, and potentially to relieve, the emotional
distresses of everyday life.
The book is both a subjective exploration of, and a practical guide to dealing
with, the emotional aspects of human experience. However, it is not a form of therapy, and the
techniques described in it should not be practised during the course of a mental illness. Mental
illness requires medical treatment – whereas this book mainly offers mental exercise.
The elements of the model described have always existed, but they are presented
here in a way which the author considers potentially useful to a wide audience. A single underlying
cause for our many emotions is suggested. Their complex effects on daily life are then discussed
in detail, and simple techniques for their exploration and resolution are described.
This book is written for anyone who would like to understand the human mind better
– or who would simply like a happier and calmer life. However, it certainly does not guarantee
either result. Nor does it pretend to explain life's underlying mysteries – which words
cannot, in any case, effectively address.
On the other hand, a better understanding and fuller resolution of emotions allows
a clearer view of the mental landscape. That might well lead to a more peaceful and joyful life.
But it would be an optional extra – bought with your own hard work.
[Links for online reading are at the bottom
of the page]
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About
"Notes on Communication"
Why would you bother to read a book about something so obvious and routine as
the exchange of information? Perhaps because, obvious or not, this is one of the most important
things we ever do. In a very real sense, it is the interpersonal equivalent of breathing. Just
as the physical life of any individual depends on breathing, the interactive life of any number
of people, from a couple to a country, depends on communication.
Another way in which it is like breathing is that we often take it for granted.
Indeed, we ignore some aspects almost completely. In the case of breathing, that only matters
in certain specific circumstances. Most of the time, we breathe fairly well without thinking about
it at all. However, when it comes to communication, it is best not to leave too much to chance.
To ignore some aspects of this vital activity is to wear interpersonal blinkers.
Blinkers allow you to see ahead, but there is a very real risk of bumping into – or even
falling off – unnoticed things which are right beside you. Especially (though by no means
only) if you work with people, such haphazard interpersonal navigation is simply not good enough.
No prior knowledge about the process of information interchange is assumed in
this little book, and the emphasis is on the practical things which I have found most helpful
during my medical career. As a result, some aspects are not addressed at all. Those that are included
are discussed from a personal perspective, but I have not proposed any entirely new theories or
methods.
Despite their brevity, I think these notes provide a basic understanding of
the principles and practices which enable good verbal and non-verbal communication. I therefore
hope that readers will find them not only interesting, but also of practical value in their personal
and professional relationships.
[Links for online reading are at the bottom
of the page]
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